


Let the Levee Break

by doublejoint



Category: One Piece
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:27:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29188539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doublejoint/pseuds/doublejoint
Summary: Law is unclear, until he isn't.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 7
Kudos: 32
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	Let the Levee Break

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 3 of the February Ficlet Challenge: Flood

Law’s like a cold river, covered in sharp ice at the top, an uneven freeze. It’s not the kind of thing you can fall into from even a short height and enter smoothly, like a calm or even slightly choppy sea with no icebergs in sight from the deck of a ship. That’s not quite all there is to Law, though; there’s a sense about him of flooding, of rising depth, of overflowing. Perhaps Zoro’s just seeing his own feelings reflected in Law’s eyes, in his earrings, in his blade, what he wants to see, but it’s not as if he can’t control himself. Even in the middle of a battle, a fight he’s been drawn into feelings-first, Zoro’s always got a hold on his blades, his movement; he goes the way he means to. Perhaps he’s just seeing what he wants, then, and perhaps he’s only thinking of the water because he’s surrounded by it. 

The way the light filters down through the fish tank invites a comparison to a submarine, but being on a submarine is only a little like this, more cramped and tight but still surrounded by water, on the other side of well-tempered glass. And, in turn, neither is much like swimming in the ocean, where the water’s pushing right against your skin and you never lose track of which way is which, floating or sinking, the direction of the rippling light and your hands pushing against something heavier. 

“Were you ever a good swimmer?” Zoro asks.

Law shrugs. “I didn’t get the opportunity much.”

(So, like Robin, then; she’d said once that she’d eaten her fruit when she was quite young--and Law’s not like Luffy or Chopper; he wouldn’t have been content not knowing how.)

He looks at Zoro, a ray of light filtered through the wavering water hitting his nose. It’s as if he wants to say something more. Zoro waits. He flexes his toes inside his boots. The light passes to Law’s ear, and Law stands up.

“I should go.”

He doesn’t look back as he leaves, though Zoro watches until he’s disappeared.

* * *

It would be easy enough to tell Law how he feels. To leave it at that and let things fall where they may. Zoro’s not the kind of person to lie to himself and say he’s waiting for the right moment; he’s patient but not finicky, and there’s no one right moment anyway. Either Law returns his feelings or he doesn’t. But it’s difficult to say which way the current’s going, like charts of wind and tide that he can’t make head or tail of. Law’s so snappish, and then sometimes he’s calm, and then focused--Zoro likes all those sides of him, the soft water under the shards of ice and the glassy surface and the intensity of a wave. Like water, again, but when Zoro’s only knee-deep in sleep, his mind only wants to run over the same things again.

He hears Law’s voice, and is drawn out, somewhere he probably wouldn’t be able to see if he were to turn his head and open his eye. Then Robin’s, then both Usopp’s and Nami’s at once, and then Law’s again, edged with irritation. Then softer again, and Robin sounds--amused, maybe? The more he focuses on that, the farther he goes from sleep, though maybe he needs a drink anyway. There’s a chilled bottle of sake in the fridge, the last of the ones they’d bought two islands ago. That’s another thing there’s never a perfect moment to save for; each moment is as good as any other as long as he can enjoy the drink. 

Zoro almost catches Robin’s next words; her voice is raised slightly. The deck creaks, and then again under the weight of Law’s footsteps. He pauses in front of Zoro. He steps, tentatively, softly, closer. Zoro’s hand twitches. Law waits. 

Then he moves again, past Zoro, almost around the corner by the time Zoro forces his eye open.

* * *

The submarine moves slowly through the water; Zoro pauses to look out through the porthole. They’re deep enough for it to be too dark to see very far, and it’s tough to tell if the shadows outside are passing fish, other submarines, or his imagination. The aquarium’s got a better view, but that was already a given.

“Don’t wander off,” says Law.

“You’re the one who went ahead,” says Zoro. 

Law turns around, takes three strides, and tugs Zoro forward by the wrist. His fingertips are cold. Zoro follows, his hand twisting around to catch Law’s, trapping it around the base of his palm. Law’s pace stutters, and then recovers; his neck flushes. Without thinking of it, Zoro’s said his piece; without thinking of what the answer would be he seems to have received it. Law’s hand loosens around his wrist and then wraps firmly around his hand.

The levee breaks, and the flood rushes in. Law’s hand clutches Zoro’s and then both hands are on the sides of Zoro’s face and he kisses Zoro until they’re both short on breath. He is so much, and all at once, but nothing Zoro can’t take, nothing Zoro’s not prepared for, a flood he can swim through, a surface he can float toward. 

They can both stand in front of the porthole at once, though there’s still not much to see. Law’s a more interesting view, anyway, his neck still flushed, the lightbulb overhead angled to send long shadows of his hat and his nose across his face. 

“I didn’t use a submarine because I can’t swim,” he says.

“No?”

“There are better reasons.”

“Swimming’s not much like this, anyway,” says Zoro. 

Law looks back at him; the shadows on his face shift as he turns his head. There’s a hint of a smile in his mouth. Zoro’s not patient enough to wait for more of it, and he’ll slice through the rest of the levees one by one if that’s how it has to go. It’ll be more than worth the effort.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
